You’re Going to Antarctica?!?

Yes, you heard/ read correctly, I’m going to Antarctica in January 2019 as part of the 3rd cohort of women in the Homeward Bound Project.

Homeward Bound is an audacious program with the goal of creating a global coalition of 1000 women with backgrounds in STEM to bring a voice to the planet and drive policy change.

“Mother Nature Needs Her Daughters.”

Homeward Bound is relatively new so there isn’t a long history.  The initial idea came from Fabian Dattner who is a leadership activist and partner at Dattner Grant, a leadership development consultancy based in Australia.  She partnered with Jess Melbourne Thomas, an Antarctic Marine Ecological Modeler, to build the program.

The following statements are taken directly from the Homeward Bound website (homewardboundprojects.com.au):

“Homeward Bound is a groundbreaking leadership, strategic and science initiative for women, set against the backdrop of Antarctica.

The initiative aims to heighten the influence and impact of women with a science background in order to influence policy and decision making as it shapes our planet, within 10 years.

In 2016, Homeward Bound gathered the first 76 of a targeted 1,000 women from around the world, all with critical science backgrounds, to undertake a year-long state-of-the-art program to develop their leadership and strategic capabilities, using science to build conviction around the importance of their voices.  The inaugural program culminated in the largest-ever female expedition to Antarctica, in December 2016, with a focus on the leadership of women and the state of the world.”

The second cohort just returned from Antarctica and my cohort will travel during the beginning of January 2019.

During this upcoming year, our cohort will have monthly group conference calls, we will also undergo leadership diagnostics and receive leadership coaching.  There be scientific projects assigned to groups within the cohort.  The trip to Antarctica is intended to be an intensive culmination of the leadership training and an opportunity to share and further develop scientific initiatives.  Antarctica has been chosen for the backdrop as it is one of the places on Earth most affected by climate change.

We have already begun to interact with members of the first cohort and look forward to learning about the recent experiences of the second Homeward Bound expedition.  This is an exciting time as it feels like the project is gaining momentum.

So this is my next BIG adventure and I look forward to see where it takes me, other than to Antarctica!!

My intent with the blog is to take you along for the ride.  I will share the things I learn and my experiences as they unfold.

Please share the blog with anyone who might be interested.  Please also share your comments and ask questions.  I am so, so super excited about this upcoming year and hope and I can spark some of the same enthusiasm in anyone who visits this site.